Digital Shinobi
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Why? I am told it was one of my very first words. The real questions didn't come until later. Much later; when I first fell into this world. What am I? Who am I? Why do they all fear me? How did I forget my name? When did I meet her? Will I help save the worlds? Or will I burn them down? My first NarutoxDigimon crossover! Narutoxharem? Pairings open! Suggestions wanted!
1. Digital Prologue

**A/N: Jeez, I'm really despressed about what's happened in Las Vegas.** **Wow. I don't even have words. I'll be keeping them in my prayers. What kind of man guns down people at a concert only to take his own life before he can be caught? A coward, that's what! Aaaaaarrrrrgh, I'm so pissed right now! Violence has never been, and never will be the way to do things! If someone has a problem with another, then they should TALK about it, not go batshit crazy and start shooting! It seems like every day I wake up and hear of some terrible incident somewhere in the world and it breaks my heart. Truly, it does. Its almost enough to make a man loose hope in this day and age. Can't we all just get along? Apparently not!**

 **That's precisely what's wrong with the world these days!**

 **Alright, alright, I'm getting off on a tangent here.**

 **Anyhow, surprise! I'm back! LONG LIVE THE REQUEST YEARS!**

 **Also, to Robdor Peltan, that wasn't very nice. Since you seem intent on blocking me, I've done the same to you.**

 **Anywho Been browsing through the NarutoxDigimon crossovers...and to be frank, I'm a little surprised. We've got some really high quality fics out there! Downright inspiring, really. Several of them really piqued my interest so, when this request came down the pipeline, I just had to do it.**

 **This chapter starts off dark mind you, but by the end, there's a ray of hope, in typical Digimon fashion.**

 **Bear in mind this is only the beginning, setting the stage, as it were.**

 **Now...**

 **...onward!**

 _"Well, that's not fair at all."_

 _~?._

 **Prologue**

 _Why?_

I am told it was one of my very first words.

The questions didn't come until later; much later indeed.

Why am I different? Why am I alone? Why don't I look like the others? Why are they afraid of me? Why do they throw things at me? Why do they hurt me? Why doesn't anyone love me? Why are they always whispering? What did I do wrong? What's a monster? Am I a monster? Why am I a monster? Is it my fault? Or theirs? Am I not good enough? Why won't they acknowledge me? How can I make them see me? Should I hate them? Do they hate me? Do they hate _her?_ How do I make it stop? Why is this happening to me? Why won't it stop?

 _Why?!_

Shove all these thoughts into a young boy's brain and you have a recipe for disaster. They say love cannot truly flourish without adversity, but too much and the heart dies. Withers. Like a flower choked out by weeds. To be loved is a beautiful thing, but lets face it; if the entire world stood against you from the moment you entered into it, would you really want save it from disaster? To be acknowledged by all those you hated? Would you grab a torch and set it on fire? Or would you just walk away from it all and watch everything burn? Let's be honest. Did you really expect a twelve year old to make a rational decision?

If so, dear reader, this story likely isn't for you.

This story isn't about rationality; I could be the hero or the villain, depending on whom you ask.

But if you enjoy a good laugh, if you revel in seeing pretentious idiots uprooted, the whole world-worlds-turned on their heads and expect the unexpected then by all means continue. Read my journal and learn from my mistakes. If you're reading this, I'm probably long dead anyway, so I'm sure my ghost won't mind you flipping through a few dusty pages. Is there an afterlife in this world for people like me, or does it apply exclusively to that world? Hmm. Really doesn't matter. Then again, you _might_ be trespassing, in which case I'm not dead and _you're_ about to die.

Meh, semantics.

Looking back on it all I wonder where I went wrong.

Did I make the wrong choice?

Some days, feels like I did. Then there are times when I'm wracked with guilt. I broke many hearts and I don't think I'll ever live it down. My hardest choice is yet to come. I wonder, if someone had extended their hand to me during back then, before all of this, would I have become someone else? Would it all turn out different? Perhaps. By a twist of fate, I may not have found this place. If someone-anyone!-had shown me the tiniest bit of kindness beforehand, would I have let _that_ world burn, or would I save the other? Vice-versa? I suppose it doesn't matter now. They're coming for me, hunting me, and I have to prepare. I've gathered all my allies as best I can and, win or lose, I pen this final entry-the story of my life-in the slim hope that someone might understand. That something might be left.

How to explain?

Well...I'd have to start from the beginning.

You'd have to venture back to the day where it all began.

 _The day I failed._

 _The day I gave up hope._

 _The day I abandoned my dream._

 _The day I met someone who understood me._

 _The day_ _the earth opened beneath my feet and I fell into another world._

 **A/N: *Burns from embarrassment* Kami alive this was HARD to write! My ears are burning bright right now and I'm pretty damn sure I've got one helluva headache! I've never written anything like this before! Expect the unexpected with this story, and feel free to suggest whatever you like! Naruto's going to have one hell of a wild ride, and that's assuming he ever makes it back to Konoha! Will he have a partner? A spirit? Both? Or will this take an entirely different route altogether...?**

 **That, my dear readers, is for you decide! I humbly welcome any and all opinions and suggestions!**

 **A word of warning to the wise, this story may venture into the realm of high T or M later on!**

 **If anyone caught the TFS reference at the very end, good for you! =D**

 **So, in the immortal words of Altas...**

 **...review, would you kindly?**

 **And enjoy the preview! Here's a major hint!**

 **(Preview)**

 _"Who the heck are you?"_

 _The boy dared to raise his gaze._

 _He found himself looking at a strange, dark, dog-like creature with bright eyes, lop ears and an equally odd ring circling its thin neck. It would've been downright cute if it wasn't growling at him-no, somehow it managed to make even that menacing gesture look adorable. In fact, he wouldn't even call it a dog, more of a puppy actually._

A puppy.

 _And it was speaking._

 _To him?!_

 _"I could ask you the same question!"_

 _"Huh?!" the little black creature growled, "Ya wanna fight?!"_

* * *

 _"What?! No! How did you change?!"_

 _"Ohhh, now I could get used to this! Go get 'em!"_

 _"Wait, wait, wait! Stop! I think we can all agree mistakes were made..._

 _"Yes." a glowing shadow fell over him, blotting out the sun. "And they were yours."_

 **R &R! =D **


	2. Going Digital

**A/N: Jeez, I'm still depressed about what's happened in Las Vegas.** **Wow. I don't even have words. I'll be keeping them in my prayers. What kind of man guns down people at a concert only to take his own life before he can be caught? A coward, that's what! Aaaaaarrrrrgh, I'm so pissed right now! Violence has never been, and never will be the way to do things! If someone has a problem with another, then they should TALK about it, not go batshit crazy and start shooting! It seems like every day I wake up and hear of some terrible incident somewhere in the world and it breaks my heart. Truly, it does. Its almost enough to make a man loose hope in this day and age. Can't we all just get along? Apparently not!**

 **That's precisely what's wrong with the world these days!**

 **Alright, alright, I'm getting off on a tangent here.**

 **Also, a LIST!**

 **Previously, there was some confusion as to the timeline. Naruto is twelve at the start of this story. Furthermore, this takes place some weeks before his Genin exam, meaning: (A) He never stole the Scroll of Sealing, (B) Never graduated, and of course, (C) Basically had the rug yanked out from under him right before breakfast and fell into the Digital World. (D) The entire ordeal left him...altered in unexpected ways.**

 **With me so far? Great!**

 **This chapter should give a hint as to what seasons we'll be working with here.**

 **Which season are we working with, hmm?**

 **The answer, my dear readers?**

 **SEVERAL!**

 **How do I intend to do that, you ask?**

 **Hehehehe, why, I'm so very glad that you inquired!**

 **You'll soon see what I mean as the story gradually progresses.**

 **Furthermore, I feel the need for an additional warning here. If it wasn't already replied, Naruto's lost his memories. He doesn't know what-who-he is and he's forced to adapt to the situations as they arise. You're either going to hate this story, or love it. Why? Well, lets just say that the ninja world isn't quite done with Naruto yet. I won't say anymore at this time, but expect it to raise all sorts of hell later on. Also, apparently, Bellestarmon is a thing. Interesting.**

 **Oh, and as to the matter or partners/spirits...**

 **...someone gave me a rather novel idea.**

 **I'm going all in with this, right here!**

 **Expect the unexpected, readers!**

 **Now off we go~!**

 _"Yes, that's right. Take that power. Keep loading data until no one can stop you._ _Surpass the system. Surpass the **god** of this wretched world! Cast him down! And then...!"_

 _~?_

 **Going Digital**

 _"Corruption Level at Twenty Percent."_

 **"Wake up, you bloody fool!"**

"What in the world...?"

A voice like poisoned honey ripped through the pleasant haze of Naruto's dreams to pluck the unwilling boy from his dirt-nap with cruel surety. Dragged from blissful images of ramen, his body briefly resisted; fighting tooth and claw to remain where it was, determined to cling to the sweet succor of slumber a while longer. Perhaps annoyed by this stubborn recalcitrance of his, someone-or something?-swatted him on the back of his head. _Hard._ Yelping in equal parts surprise and pain, the boy reluctantly roused himself and came back to the world.

Unfortunately for him, said world didn't prove particularly accommodating.

Darkness awaited him when he finally opened his eyes; a complete and utter absence of light so profound that the boy physically shrank backwards.

Dimly, he became aware of hardened metal rods beneath his hands and to his back. When he attempted to make of go of finding his footing his already sore skull struck a low ceiling with a harsh clang and drove him back to the floor. With that his beleaguered brain finally rebooted and he began to understand what had transpired. Was this a cage of some sort, then? A cursory glance confirmed his suspicions. Someone must've stuffed him in here. This was swiftly coupled by the realization that he wasn't _alone_ in said cage. He could hear someone-something?!-breathing nearby, the soft, telltale rasp of another being deep in slumber.

Something big.

Certainly larger than _him_ by the sound of it!

 _'Right. Gotta be quiet, then. But how did_ I _get here?'_

Another void of a far more sinister sort awaited him when he tried to gather his broken thoughts. Now that he thought about it, his skull ached most of all. His temples were pounding something terrible; suggesting he'd landed on his head at some point. This time, there could be no retreat from what he found lurking there.

Or rather, a distinct lack thereof.

That...that couldn't be right.

He remembered...

...nothing.

 _"What?"_

To his dismay, the boy found he couldn't recall how he'd gotten here. Or...much of anything for that matter. Even his own name escaped his notice; as if someone had reached deep inside his very soul and scooped out all the memories, all the thoughts that made him.. _.him._ Who was he? Where was he? _Who am I?!_ The endless slew of questions nearly sent him into a paroxysm of weeping terror. It was only with a supreme effort of will that he throttled his fear and dragged himself back from the edge. Perhaps had he been in his right mind, he might've wondered just how easily he overcame the horrors of amnesia.

As it were, his shattered psyche didn't give it a second thought.

"What the hell?! Let me out of here!"

His body bolted upright again and immediately smashed into the ceiling a second time.

Remarkably, this brief bout of senseless stupidity actually knocked some sense into the bedraggled blond.

 _'Stop! Just stop!'_ he swore at himself, tucking both knees into his chest to stifle another spasm. _'Don't freak out...whoever I am! Think!'_

"Keep it down, ya big lug!" a pitched voice growled. "You're too damn loud!"

"You're the one being too...too...

Rounding on the sound, the boy felt the retort dry up on his tongue.

An _imp_ was the only word he could think of to describe the creature glaring back at him, its small body barely visible in the dark. Even its red bandanna and gloves did little to distract from those startling green eyes, dark orbs that lent no hint to their owners identity. But that voice certainly _sounded_ like a girl. Didn't it?

Oh. Those eyes wanted to burn him to ash now, by the looks of it.

...ha?"

"Don't you "ha" me, bub!" the little creature-she?-growled at him. "Stop staring!"

Naruto managed a slow blink. "Just what the hell are you?"

"The name's Impmon! What's it to ya, huh?!"

Unbidden, a laugh escaped the blond.

"Impmon? What kind of name is-

"That does it! _Bada Boom!"_

 ** _"Hey!"_**

It was something of a miracle that he possessed enough common sense to dodge the burst of flame that followed; let alone retained the skill to retaliate. Even if he hadn't evaded it, the lukewarm flame barely possessed enough warm to singe his shoulder in passing. Still, it hurt. Roused by the sudden violence something ugly stirred in him and before he knew it he retaliated, driving his skull against the imp's forehead with bone crushing force. The tiny female yelped and recoiled, clutching at the rising welt between he'd left her.

"Ow! What kind of monster are you?!"

Naruto didn't stop there.

His hand shot out, snagging the mischievous creature by the bandanna around its neck. A single tug was all it took to rip her from her feet, hoist her into the air, and bring her to his face. His reflection snarled back at him from those terrified jade orbs, savage scarlet slits howling at him from the black. Odd. Had his eyes always been red? He couldn't remember. Didn't care. In that instant all he felt was anger. A rage that hadn't been there, not before this, threatening to rise up and choke him should he allow it to take hold.

 **"Try that again."** he growled. Spirits, was that his voice?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she flailed, throwing up her gloved hands in surrender. "Jeez! Won't do it again, okay?! Lemme go!"

Reluctantly he acquiesced her request.

What was he indeed? He had the vaguest feeling he shouldn't be here. Wherever here was. Almost as if he belonged somewhere else. But that was impossible. Wasn't it? How could he be sure _this place_ wasn't home? He might've lived here all his life for all he knew. It was only the prolonged sense of unease that suggested otherwise. Even now, he could see precious little in the darkness beyond him and the little imp-no wait, that wasn't quite right. Now that he concentrated, he found his vision adjusting, almost as if-

"If you two are quite done bickering?" a new voice interjected, "I'd rather get out of here before someone slaps dark rings on the rest of us."

 _'Dark Rings?'_

Impmon growled.

"Shut up, you big furball! You'll wake the guards!"

Momentarily shaken from his silent contemplation, Naruto turned his gaze to what-he assumed-was the southernmost corner of the cage. Sure enough, he could _just_ make out the humanoid silhouette of a figure. Standing as much as the confines of the cage would allow, said someone turned their head towards him.

Or was it something?

"Who...are you?"

For a fleeting instant, bleary blue eyes beheld a vision of a vulpine face peering down at him, eyes bright in the dark. Impossible, of course. Foxes couldn't be gold, and they certainly didn't stand on two legs. Yet here one was, gazing upon him with idle curiosity. At least the boy _hoped_ it was simply curiosity. The idea that he'd finally woken only to be devoured by wild beasts...well, it wasn't a pleasant one. Whomever they were, they didn't flinch from his gaze. Indeed, they met him stare for stare, daring him to speak up. He was only just considering it when the newcomer surprised him.

"...Renamon." she relented her name with a sigh. Then those narrow eyes narrowed even further. "You're not with Emperor, are you?"

"Er...no?" he managed weakly.

"Doubt it." Impmon muttered to herself.

"What was that, shorty?"

 _"Nothing!"_

Whoever this "Emperor" was, Naruto had begun to have an exceedingly low opinion of him. Wasn't an emperor meant to rule with fairness? Kindness? Throwing your subjects in cages didn't strike him as particularly kind. No one belonged in a cage. He wasn't sure why he felt that way; a holdover from his past self perhaps? Who knew? Still, rulers were supposed to _help_ their people. Not abandon them. When he became Hokage, he would never do such a thing. _Wait._ Where had _that_ thought come from? He felt as if he were on the verge of remembering something important, so close, just out of reach...

"Your hands." Renamon informed him primly, startling the boy somewhat.

"What?" Naruto blinked, baffled by the sudden turnabout. "What about my hands-

Pale palms flailed wildly at enemies that weren't there, clawed digits slicing through the air.

Wait.

 _Claws?_

Wincing at his throbbing palms, Naruto finally risked a glance at his hands for the first time since waking. His heart nearly stopped at the sight awaiting him there in the faint light. Fur? No, not quite fur. He could clearly see his skin in the gloom, but those hands...they didn't look human. Sheathed in crimson fur to the wrist, his palms looked like something out of a nightmare; more ghastly claws than the palms of a twelve-year old boy. Impossible, his mind gibbered madly, flailing at the sight before him. _That isn't...I'm human! Aren't I?!_

He was.

He had to be.

Daring a brief once-over of body, the boy's feeble hopes were crushed even further; for his jumpsuit lay in tatters around his shoulders, barely clinging to his battered body. Funny. Had he always been this...tall? His body felt stiff in places, as though he'd shot through an abrupt growth spurt overnight. Absurd. He could still see human skin in places where the ruined fabric had torn, feel his distinctly _human_ face-gingerly lest he accidentally cut himself-with his hands. A twitch in his lower back heralded yet another unwelcome surprise. Somehow he wasn't surprised by the lone crimson tail lurking there, unnoticed until this very moment. If anything he felt resigned. Then what was this?!

Reeling from the realization, Naruto stumbled back, thinking only to curl into a ball and pray this dream-the alternative was unacceptable-eventually passed and let him be.

Fate had other plans.

"Hey, watch it!"

He'd scarce backpedaled than something small and agile darted underfoot, nearly tripping him up. Of course there was someone else here. There just had to be. Did this day of misery know no end?!

"And who the hell are _you?"_ he demanded, incredulous.

"What kind of question is that?" a mewling voice interjected. "I'm me, of course! Who're you?!"

The boy dared to lower his gaze.

He found himself looking at a strange, pale, dog-like creature with bright eyes, lop ears and an equally odd ring circling its thin neck. It would've been downright cute if it wasn't growling at him-no, somehow it managed to make even that menacing gesture look adorable. In fact, he wouldn't even call it a dog, more of a puppy actually. With that, reality reasserted itself at last. Imps and talking foxes aside, his mind recoiled even further at the sight of something seemingly so _ordinary_ talking.

He was looking at a puppy.

And it was speaking.

To him?!

"I could ask you the same question!"

"Huh?!" the little creature growled, "Ya wanna fight?!"

"Well, I'm Salamon. What's it to you, punk?! What's your name?!"

It took the fight right out of Naruto.

The reminder that he couldn't even recall his own name stole the very wind from his sails, causing him to slump against the wall. His tail protested painfully as he sat upon it and he awkwardly rearranged his legs until the irritating sensation ceased. All the while he was aware of the three creatures staring at him. Assessing him. Judging him. Burning with shame, he raised his shoulders in a helpless shrug.

...I don't actually know." the boy confessed with a note of confusion, scratching his head. He was certain he'd had one. He must've. Right?

"Seriously?" Impmon guffawed.

Naruto snatched up a stone and pegged her.

"Ow! Jeez, what's with you and the wicked aim, huh?!"

"Oh!" At the blond's admission, Salamon's anger seemed to drain away all at once, replaced by something akin to startled sympathy. "You don't know who you are?! That's awful!" she sidled over to him, patting his knee with a paw. "I've never met a Digimon who couldn't remember their name." Then, after a moments consideration, she seemed to regret those words. "Sorry about what I said. That was...wrong of me."

 _"Digimon?"_

"That's what you are, aren't you?"

"Hmm. He looks human to me," Renamon offered. "Well...mostly."

"Right. Thanks." Naruto groaned, the sound muffled as slammed his head into his palms. "Because that makes me feel _soooooo_ much better."

"Think you can break the bars with those claws?" Salamon prodded.

"Can't you?"

 _"Diamond Storm!"_

Naruto narrowly ducked as Renamon flung out an arm and snarled. At the kitsune's cry, the world burst into countless brilliant shards, dozens of which flung themselves at the bars in a blinding blizzard of white. The cage rattled at the attack's impact, emitting an awful clang that threatened to deafen its occupants, but it held fast. Nothing more.

"See?" she raised her shoulders in a helpless shrug. "Nothing. Why don't you try?"

"Yeah, break a leg." Impmon snarked.

"Quiet, or I'll break yours."

Inwardly, he wondered.

Could he do it?

With all certainty, had he possessed even a hint of his memories, emotions would've won the day right then and there. Events would have transpired very differently indeed. Panic would surely demand he throw a fit, as most his age were wont to do. He would have shouted and screamed and _railed_ against all of this. Now? He felt...oddly calm, actually. Too much had occurred in too short a time for him to be surprised by something like talking creatures. Or much of anything, really. Whatever-whoever?-he was, he certainly couldn't be called human. Not now. Quite possibly never again. An ordinary human wouldn't have hands like this. They operated on emotion. Sanity. And they certainly didn't have tails!

Hence the disconnect.

The mind does many a strange thing to protect the body from what it views as pain. While not yet painful, this reality remained far from pleasant. It never occurred to him to ask about the so-called "guards" supposedly in wait nearby, nor the "Digimon Emperor", the "Digital World" or even "Digimon" as a whole. He simply didn't want to know. Ironically, it was in that instant, that moment of sheer stubbornness that changed everything.

 _'Oh, I see. That's how it is, then?'_

Somewhere in the back of his mind, a switch flipped.

 **"Yes!"** a dark voice in the back of his head exulted. **"At last!"**

With that, young Naruto's mind firmly divided itself into two camps; one of delusion, the other of painful truth. Half of him remained convinced that this was all a dream, one he'd wake up from any moment now. The rest, infinitely smaller, and far weaker wondered if it truly _was_ reality. Fiction? Or truth? Neither possibility proved pleasant. Regardless, Renamon made a fair point just now. The cage had to go. It stood in his way. If he truly was dreaming, he ought to be able to do whatever he wanted, no? T'was his dream, after all. In a dream, he was invincible.

Therefore, it stood to reason that he could shatter it with ease.

He never had a chance to test that theory; because in that instant, everything fell apart.

His first realization that something was amiss came when the very cage itself swung open. Not a heartbeat later, a pair of wicked-looking creatures entered the cell, carrying the heat of a thousand summers with them. Seemingly carved from the very flame itself, save for a strange dark ring encircling their necks, they resembled a men only in the vaguest of terms. For though humanoid their eyes burned with a ghastly inhuman flame. Naruto found himself so focused on the creatures that he failed to notice the third until it was too late.

Not so for Renamon.

 _"All of you! Run-_

A burning fist slammed home against the kitsune's gut before she could launch her failed offensive, driving the very breath from her lungs. She crumpled to the floor in a heap, choking. Her attacker barely blinked before another burning man snatched her up, throwing her over a shoulder. The entire exchanged took place in less than a second. Naruto swallowed thickly, and not from the oppressive heat. Fear swaddled him in an icy blanket that smothered all sense, but somehow, he managed to find the words to speak out.

"Hey, hotheead!" he cried! "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"..."

The creature didn't even acknowledge him as a threat; it merely leveled a burning glare in his direction and all the strength fled from his bones. Fear? No, Naruto didn't feel fear. What he experienced now was pure terror, ancient and primordial, choking the very life from his lungs.

 _'Don't just stand there!'_ His mind raged at his leaden legs, _'Do something, damnit! This isn't right! Move! C'mon! Move! MOVE!'_

"You," its voice emerged like grease roiling over an open fire, rooting him where he stood. "Stay."

"You two." the second of them leveled a burning finger at Impmon and Salamon, "Out."

The third advanced on them without remorse.

"Hey! Get your hands offa me!"

"No! Please, don't!"

 _"Stop!"_

Once again Naruto attempted to stand, and when the low ceiling denied him yet again, he dropped to all fours, crouching low to the ground, hands splayed against the seemingly unbreakable metal. His intent had been to give it a good hard swipe with his new weaponry. Almost immediately, a change stole over him. He felt different. Strange. Boundless energy writhed just beneath the surface, untapped might reacted, ready to be released at the slightest provocation. Then came the pain. It shot through him all at once in a crippling wave that turned his vision red and forced him to the floor, his body collapsing into spasms. Somewhere over his screams, he thought he heard laughter. Impossible.

Wasn't it?

"I...said...stop!" he ground out through clenched teeth. "Don't touch them!"

Renamon stiffened.

 _"Its coming."_

Salamon and Impon only looked on in confusion.

"What is?"

Naruto heard nothing of their conversation. There was only pain. Oh, he could still _see_ Renamon and the others through the crimson veil draped over his vision, but their words were lost to him. Soon even sight abandoned him in the haze. Curling in on himself did nothing to lessen the agony, it only made him burn all the more. He felt his body slowly, painstakingly break apart from within despite his best attempts to hold it together. DNA twisting, warped by unseen forces. This was the worst agony he'd ever experienced in his life; as if a rhino were charging through his heart.

 _ **"I TOLD YOU TO STOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"**_

Somewhere between it all, he fell apart.

 _And the world erupted into fire._

 **A/N: CLIFFHANGER NO JUTSU!**

 **Think of that little corruption message what you will. It actually has significant ramifications. After all, you didn't think Naruto would simply "arrive" in the Digital World without consequences. Its often said that hatred is a virus, and viruses are dangerous. Deadly.**

 **Especially to Digimon.**

 ***Burns from embarrassment* Kami alive this was HARD to write! My ears are burning bright right now and I'm pretty damn sure I've got one helluva headache! I've never written anything like this before! Expect the unexpected with this story, and feel free to suggest whatever you like! Naruto's going to have one hell of a wild ride, and that's assuming he ever makes it back to Konoha! Will he have a partner? A spirit? Both? Or will this take an entirely different route altogether...?**

 **That, my dear readers, is for you decide! I humbly welcome any and all opinions and suggestions!**

 **A word of warning to the wise, this story may venture into the realm of high T or M later on!**

 **If anyone caught the TFS reference at the very end, good for you! =D**

 **So, in the immortal words of Altas...**

 **...review, would you kindly?**

 **And enjoy the preview! Here's a major hint!**

 **Needless to say, it gets a little crazy!**

 **(Preview)**

 _"I made a promise!"_

 _"Words mean nothing if you don't have the power to back them up, idiot."_

 _"Nggh...shut up! You're not an Emperor! You're a murderer! I swear...I'm going to...going to... **DESTROY YOU!"**_

 _"What?! Hey! What sorcery is this?! You! What are you doing?! How are you evolving?! Stop! Stop that right now! I said stop! You can't possibly...?!"_

* * *

 _Someone was laughing._

 _It took him a handful of seconds to realize it was him._

 _Dark flames coiled around his arms, shrouding him in strength._

 _Fell horns burst from his forehead as his body twisted and grew upward._

 _Somewhere in the back of his rage-addled mind, he thought he heard a voice._

 _Warning! Warning! Corruption Level Presently Exceeds Fifty Percent. Data Collapse Imminent!_

 **R &R! =D **


	3. Burn it Down

**A/N: What's up?! I'm fired up here, folks!**

 **Thank you for all the wonderful support!**

 **I had no idea you guys and gals liked the concept of this story so much! I've gotten a TON of PM and fan mail, and I'm more than happy to answer them all! Once again, thanks for all the support and reviews, it really lights a fire under me and helps to keep me writing! You guys and gals are awesome!**

 **So lets clarify some things, neh?**

 **Most of you had question, so here be the answers:**

 **Q: Does Naruto know about the Dark Rings and their unique properties?**

 **A: Alas, he does not. He's just woken up in the Digital World after all. So of course, he's not going to realize its possible to SAVE the poor Digimon controlled by them. As it stands now, he sees them, the Meramon that is, as evil. They're hurting his friends and that makes them enemies in his eyes. Who knows? They might not have been the kindest chaps before Ken slapped Dark Rings on them. Now, will Naruto eventually discover the truth about the Dark Rings? Quite possibly. He might even feel some guilt about it later on. But here? Not yet.**

 **Q: How do you plan to handle Digivolution for Naruto and co. as a whole?**

 **A: Going for a bit of a new take on things, there. Also, Impmon's evolution line is bloody COMPLICATED! I know what her Mega form will be, but for the life of me, her Champion and Ultimate forms are eluding me! I mean, there's Devimon and IceDevimon, but I can't use those, can I? After all, I have plans for LadyDevimon. The alternative is to have her digivolve into Meramon and move on from there, which only makes this even more baffling! Or wait, maybe I could...?**

 **Q: That's not Kairi's Salamon, is it? Don't you have plans for Angewomon?**

 **A: No, this Salamon isn't her. And I do have plans for Angewomon, yes. Additionally, Naruto and co. WILL encounter several Digidestined as the story progresses. It remains to be seen whether his actions lend him a villain status or not.**

 **Q: So, curious, here. We're covering multiple seasons?**

 **A: Indeed! Not sure about Fusion though...for certain reasons. Still considering it at this time.**

 **Q: Will Naruto encounter other villainous digimon? Will he help the Digidestined?**

 **A: In a sense.**

 **Q: What in blazes (ha, pun!) was that?! Did Naruto just get the Flame Spirit somehow?!**

 **A: Correct! This chapter elaborates on it.**

 **Q: Intersting story so far, but there are some very glaring problems with the canine digimon. You go from Laylamon(the alternate name of Lilithmon, a Mega) to Lalamon(a plant type of digimon), yet its described as a you mean Salamon(the pre evo to Gatomon) or the lesser known Labramon?**

 **A: Oops! I meant Salamon! I'll be changing in this chapter, and the other one has been edited!**

 **Q: Is Naruto a digital hazard?**

 **A: Ding, ding! You are correct, sir! Naruto will indeed have the Digital Hazard symbol upon him from this chapter on. To clarify, he's basically a virus at this point and his "data" as it were, corrodes more with every action. Whether that bodes ill for his allies or not remains to be seen...**

 **Q: Where is Naruto's digivice? Surely he's going to receive one!**

 **A: Think of Naruto's _body_ as a digivice, in a sense. Thanks to Kurama, he's basically a super battery. In others words, host to a MASSIVE amount of energy, energy that he can't entirely control as of yet. But we've seen he can share with others at will. He'll receive a digivice, mind you, as its a cherished staple of the series and this story would be incomplete without out it, but the energy comes from within. Now, he won't be warp digivolving any Rookie levels up to Mega just yet, but you get the idea.**

 **Q: Wait, wait, wait. How did he evolve? Did the corruption play a part here?**

 **A: The corruption plays a key factor here. Naruto and Kurama's situation is...complicated. Suffice it to say it was a hybridization. Remember, his body is digital at the moment, despite its appearance as such. Desperate need and anger were the trigger; seeing his new friends hurt simply pushed him over the edge.**

 **Q: What kind of Digivolutions are we going to see here?**

 **A: Naruto and co. are going to hit a bunch. Regular, Crest, DNA, the whole nine yards. Don't expect our favorite blond to only have access to Spirit evolutions, either. Agunimon is but the tip of a very LARGE iceberg. You'll soon see what I mean!**

 **Q: Wait! Does that mean he can make others evolve on his own!?**

 **A: In a sense,** **Naruto and the girls will eventually hit mega level. Potentially even a burst mode, depending on how well that's received.**

 **Q: We're going the multiple partner rout here?**

 **A: Yes! Naruto will indeed have multiple digimon partners.**

 **Q: Oh god, he's going to kill Ken, isn't he?! No, no, no! Please don't!**

 **A: This chapter serves as my answer to that inquiry.**

 **Bit of tongue-in-cheek with the title here, too**

 **'Tis intentional, dear readers!**

 **Now off we go~!**

 _"Yes, that's it! Burn them! Burn them all!"_

 _~?_

 **Burn it Down**

 _Fire._

It is said we all play host to a small flame of sorts. A passion, burning deep within our very souls. This tiny ember manifests as many things. Ambition. The unspoken, wordless urge to go out into the world and make our fortune. Pride. The need to prove oneself to others. Justice. To defend others from harm. Anger. The weight of helplessness; of powerless rising against the powerful. Even something so simple as life itself is essentially a spark-a flame that enables us to live. Our very heartbeats warm our bodies, bringing heat to our blood, sustaining us.

Fire is power.

Fire is strength.

Fire is vengeance.

Fire is drawn to us from our very birth, and stays with us to our dying breath.

Some take it a touch more literally.

 _ **"I TOLD YOU TO STOP!"**_

With those words, Uzumaki Naruto's body burst and wave of pressurized flame ripped through the room that once housed him. The ensuing shockwave didn't discriminate between captors or the captive. It gathered them up all the same and hurled them outside as though they were no more than leaves in the wind. Just as well; because in the next instant the tsunami of napalm rendered the inside of the cell little more than slag. Stunned by the impact, none thought to flee. The Meramon paid no heed, their captives all but forgotten at their feet. Instead they stood transfixed, paralyzed by the sudden explosion that had claimed their short-lived friend. Had any poor unfortunate soul been present in the blast, they would've been rendered little more than fractured data. Nothing could've survived that, surely.

Certainly not Naruto, who'd stood at the center of the explosion _-no._

Renamon saw it first.

Not the boy...someone else.

"Well," she muttered. "This is...new."

Dimly, she became aware of someone-or something-rising from the towering inferno that had once been their cell. A humanoid Digimon clad in a black bodysuit and red armor emerged from the wildfire with a slow stride, long golden mane trailing over flame shoulder pauldrons then behind him in the searing wind that followed. A quartet of angry red triangles throbbed viciously upon his chest, pulsing the color of burning blood in time with the scarlet sparks skittering around his body, echoing the steady beat of his heart. His face lurked behind a cruel horned mask, jaw laid bare in a stern scowl. The eyes were worse.

 _Much worse._

Burning blue orbs blazed straight ahead, cold slits reflecting nothing.

No semblance of humanity.

No emotion whatsoever.

Only flame.

The nearest Meramon took one look at those eyes and backpedaled, their foot catching against a bit of ash. The digimon's masked face whipped around at the noise, brow furrowing as he beheld the trio of Meramon. As though he'd only just now seen them for the very first time. Even then he made no move to attack. He simply stood. Watching. Waiting. Savoring their anxiety. Their fear. As they looked on, that stoic scowl warped into something far more sinister. A look of predatory satisfaction stole across his once stony visage, one that grew darker with each passing moment.

Unable to be bear it any longer, one of the Meramon dared raise a fist-

 _Too slow._

The masked Digimon bounced forward and descended upon the trio of terrified Meramon with a wordless bellow, driving the burning fingers of a clenched fist deep into the nearest creature's torso in grisly relief. Even from this distance one could see it for a fatal wound. Gasping, it reeled back to clutch at the now-gaping tear in its supposedly impervious body but the burning spirit was already spinning away, driving a booted foot beneath its chin and taking the fight to the remaining Meramon in a storm of blows. To their credit, the horrified Digimon put up more of a fight than their brother.

It simply wasn't enough.

A clumsy swing was countered by a rousing roundhouse that physically lifted the rightmost digimon from its feet, even as he ducked beneath a pulse of flame flung by its comrade. Rounding on his impudent attacker with a snarl, the masked digimon pounced. He battered down the creature clutching Salamon with pure brute strength, gripped its free arm, and pulled. _Hard._ The agonized roar that followed momentarily made Renamon flinch in spite of herself but even so she was wholly unable to avert her gaze. Unable to look away, as the Meramon's _right arm_ arced across the room and crashed to the floor at her feet. It lay there for but a moment, then with a silent hiss of sundered sparks, dissolved into nothingness.

 _"Aaaargh!"_

As the burning digimon reeled against the abrupt loss of its ruined limb, the masked warrior took the opportunity to snatch Salamon from its grasp.

In that instant, something extraordinary happened.

A spark of energy snarled outward from masked digimon's body and down _into_ that of the Rookie Digimon's form. The diminutive dog yelped in equal parts surprise and pain both as the holy ring around her neck shattered in response. Perhaps sensing what was about to come, the masked digimon dropped her with a start.

In the next instant Salamon's world changed.

She felt rather than saw herself begin to _Digivolve_ as she fell back on two legs, her body shifting, glowing. Ears grew and sprouting upwards. Claws formed over puny paws. Blue eyes stained the color of tainted gold. As the glow faded the tiny puppy had vanished replaced by black Egyptian cat wearing large purple and red striped gloves bearing black claws sticking out of them. A long, purple-striped tail flicked with nervous anxiety, the lone tuft at the end twitching in quiet confusion. And then, as quickly as it had begun, the short-lived evolution ended.

A name leaped to the forefront of her mind, escaping before she could think to hold it back.

 _"BlackGatomon."_

"Wha...did you just digivolve?!" Impmon squawked in outrage. It wasn't fair!

"I...think so?"

Their savior paid the unexpected interruption little heed.

To Renamon's eyes the masked Digimon's body didn't so much move as he did _flicker_ , vanishing in one moment, only to reappear at the enemy's flank in the next. Gloved hands locking around the heads of its compatriots from behind and levered them forward face-first into the dirt with an earthshaking crunch. By some fell grace one of the duo managed to get off a desperate attack with its remaining fist, only to find its assault rebuffed by the armored warrior's pulsing chest. Planting his boot on the back of its compatriot, the searing spirit spun on its aggressor with a hiss and seized it by the neck.

 _Crunch._

A twist of the wrist was all it took to silence the angry digimon forever, rendering it so much data. That very data flowed backward, absorbed into the masked digimon's body. One might have thought the Meramon's flame like bodies would render them immune to mere physical attacks. No such luck. The last Meramon barely had time to comprehend the death of its comrade, much less the situation before the digimon-was it Naruto?-turned its attention upon its with renewed ferocity. A lone word hissed through clenched teeth:

 _"Die."_

The masked digimon's burning boot crushed down against the Meramon's skull and once more data flowed through the air, absorbed into his pulsing chest. All told, the battle-if it could even be called such, lasted no more than a moment. Nothing remained of the Meramon or their malice; but that didn't mean the danger was past. Far from it. If anything, she wondered if they might be in even more peril now than before. Yes they were free from their cage, but now they had an enraged legendary warrior standing in front of them. Bearing a Digital Hazard on his chest, no less!

"Hey...kid?" Impmon ventured warily. "That's, uh, you in there...right?"

She flinched slightly when that blazing blue gaze redirected on her.

"Whoa, easy big guy!" she yelped! "We're friends, right?"

The masked digimon scowled down at her intently.

Somewhere inside him, a spark of self stirred.

Abruptly, that tiny spark remembered.

 _'Naruto. My name is Naruto!''_

 **"No. Agunimon."**

Another name called to him deep within the flames, bringing with it the knowledge of what he was. What he'd unwittingly become. He _was_ Naruto...and yet not him. He was Agunimon. A digimon who drew deeply from its namesake, the fire god Agni, with its control over flames. Also associated with the legendary salamander and the elemental fire that folklore ascribes to it. Fire was his ally now. The very flames, his to command. It wanted to lash out, as it had against the Meramon, to burn them, all render the world ash. It took everything he had just to keep it in check. To recognize the trio of faces staring up at him. Even if one had changed, he recognized the visage behind it. He _knew_ them:

Renamon.

Salamon.

Impon.

The tiny spark that was still Naruto recognized their faces, but only just. Consumed by the spirit, cast adrift on an ocean of flame, he struggled to maintain that flickering ember of his self. Easier said than done when he had next-to-nothing to remember concerning his identity beyond his name. Naruto? Who was that? Who was _he?_ How had he gained this power? An endless storm of questions bombarded him and frantically, he clung to the shattered raft of his self. The wrath coursing through him would not be sated so easily; slaying the Meramon had only stoked the flams inside him. He needed an outlet now, more than ever. Abruptly, the pulsing mark on his chest gave one final sputter and died, taking the raging storm with it. Somehow, he tamped the fire down long enough for coherent thought to win the day.

Who was he indeed?

Naruto?

The fox?

Agunimon?

Some amalgamation of the three?

He didn't know anymore.

None of it mattered.

"My name," he paused to swallow thickly, somewhat alarmed by the resonating timbre of his new voice. "is Naruto. Well," he hesitated anew, noticing Renamon's discerning gaze and peered down at his armored hands, "It was. " a half-hearted shrug followed. "I guess its Agunimon, for now. Are you guys alright?"

He expected relief.

Gratitude, at the very least.

Instead, he was only met with more questions.

"Agunimon?" the kitsune perked up. "That name sounds familiar. How did you achieve that form?"

 **"Thanks to me."** an overly exultant voice crowed somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind. **"Do not thank that foolish fox."**

"I don't know!" irritated, Naruto shoved it away and hissed in a rare moment of exasperation. "Believe me, I wish I did! I'd like some answers myself!"

"Speaking a' which!" At that, Impmon finally recovered some of her spunk and stomped up to the befuddled blond in a storm of angry bluster. "I saw that spark back there. How the hell did you make that runt Digivolve?! Tell me!" She might've even been imposing if she weren't so, well, tiny. Everything seemed so...small to him now. Had he truly grown that tall? Still, her question nagged at him and he felt he owed her a response, if not necessarily an answer.

"Digi-what?"

"Its called Digivolution." Salamon _-No, waitaminute, she called herself BlackGatomon, Naruto reminded himself_ -interjected with a soft purr, turning golden eyes on him with a maturity she hadn't possessed before. "Its how we Digimon become stronger. By evolving. Usually it requires a great amount of time and involves "loading" a lot of data. That, or a partner with a digivice. This, however," she offered a faint flick of her tail as she glanced about her new form, "...it shouldn't have happened."

"And yet it did." Renamon put in, folding both arms before her chest. "Why?"

In truth, Naruto didn't know how he'd done any of it; becoming Agunimon, forcing Salamon to digivolve, any of it.

It simply...occurred.

Now that he thought about it, they _did_ have more pressing concerns than escape or evolution; it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't rightly know how to _change back._ Not that this form was unpleasant mind you; after he'd successfully managed to reign himself in he felt quite powerful, all-consuming flames aside. It still didn't answer his question, however. He vaguely remembered being torn apart by the flames. Was this his new body? Had he somehow become trapped in this form? Or would it merely expire after a set amount of time? If it did, then their chances of escaping would shrink to nothing.

 **"You shall not."** the voice-Agunimon?-snarled at him. **"This form is necessary. For now."**

At his wit's end, the blond finally relented and gave the mouthy interloper in his head his full attention.

His confusion only grew as he realized the "voice" stemmed not from within as he'd suspected, but without. More aptly, it emanated from a strange device bound to his belt. Where did _that_ come from? Reluctantly reaching for the unusual instrument, he plucked the odd handheld apparatus from his side and gazed down at it. He couldn't recall having seen such a thing in his life, yet somehow, it looked almost...familiar. Impossible. Surely he would've remembered such a thing.

 _"Alright, I'll bite. Who are what are you?!"_ he shot a tether of thought at the presence, only to find himself rebuffed. _'And what the hell is this?!'_

 **"I am Fire."** came the searing response, scathing in its severity that he nearly dropped the device outright. **"I am flame made flesh. I am the Inferno. Your power called to me when you set foot in this world and at long last, I have answered. Why do you hesitate? Use me. Temper your rage and loose it upon your enemies. Burn all who stand against you, for that is my purpose."**

No sooner had the tenuous connection formed than the link severed, leaving him reeling in the dark.

If Renamon and others had actually _heard_ the voice, they gave no sign of it, consumed as they were in their own conversation.

Just where had he received this?

Well.

Yet another event he didn't even recall.

That only left him with more questions than before.

Just how much had he forgotten since he'd come to this world?

"Alright," he began slowly, shunting that ugly thought aside and reattaching the odd device to his belt. "I'm not sure I understand that, but the important thing is that we get out of here, right?"

"Wrong!" Impmon declared forcefully, drawing startled glances from all assembled. "I've got a bone to pick with the Digimon Emperor! I ain't leaving till I settle the score!"

"Would you really let your friend's sacrifice be in vain?" Renamon frowned. "Betamon went willingly so you could -

"Shaddap!" the little imp rounded on her with a teary-eyed snarl. "You don't know anything!"

"..."

It occurred to Naruto that he knew precious little about this realm and Digivolution, the state of the world, or even the creatures inhabiting it. He'd been thrown into it headfirst and forced to adapt. Until now his body had done just that. Reacted. Perhaps it was time he started acted of his own accord from here on out. If he continued to act without reliable intel there would only be another disaster. One his new powers might not be able to rescue them from. Perhaps that was the Spirit of Flame talking, but he found himself inclined toward it regardless.

"Alright," he turned to Gatomon, palming his masked face in resignation. "Maybe its best if you start from the beginning?"

"Are you sure? Its a bit of a long story."

In lieu of a response, he tucked both legs beneath his body and dropped seiza-style to the ground.

"I'm not going anywhere."

The diminutive digimon actually paused at that.

"Well, if you really want to hear the whole story, I suppose-

"Alright!" Renamon interjected with an irritated growl, "That does it. I don't understand you."

"Pardon?" Agunimon tilted his head in what she mistook for confusion. It only irritated the golden kitsune all the more.

"You say you're human, but we both know that's not true. You claim not to be a digimon, yet that's _clearly_ not the case either." she hissed and threw up a paw in exasperation. "Human's don't just digivolve out of the blue and they _certainly_ don't act like this! In the last five minutes you've shown all of us more concern than we were due; even treated us like friends. I have to ask: What are you? What do you want?"

"You mean besides kickin' ass and taking names?" Impmon sniped.

"Quiet, you."

"Honestly?" the legendary warrior shrugged, armored shoulders rolling dismissively. "I don't know who I am anymore. Does it matter?" he fixed her with a steely gaze, refusing to flinch in spite of her criticism. "As to what I want, right now, I want to learn why I'm here, what the devil's going on, and hopefully escape afterward. Preferably with you three. Good enough for you?"

"I-

"Are you quite done blustering about?" BlackGatomon's tail flicked in annoyance. "I'd like to get the ball rolling here. Sometime today if you don't mind?"

Renamon opened her mouth to argue the point further, but something held her tongue.

Why _was_ she belaboring the point, here?

What point was there in arguing when they might be recaptured at any moment?

"You might want to make yourself comfortable." she warned. "This may take some time."

"If you say so."

So he did.

Naruto listened most intently to her tale, committing every detail to memory.

Not a single detail was beneath his notice; he listened to her answer and asked his share of questions in return. He listened to the tale of those who had come before, these "Digidestined" who had fought against the Dark Masters and the great evil behind them. Then the greater menace that arose upon their departure. He paid rapt attention, resolving to remember it. When all was finally said and done, he found himself standing in staunch agreement with Impmon. Furthermore, he experienced a strange a prick of guilt towards the Meramon he'd inadvertently butchered. He'd slain them in wild battle rage without realizing it was possible to free them. He felt no such sympathy toward the self-proclaimed "ruler" of the Digital World and his unique brand of malevolence.

None at all.

This "Digimon Emperor" was more than just an enemy; by the tell of it he was a threat to the entire Digital World. Worse than that, he sounded cruel. Despite his lack of memories, Naruto still retained some semblance of his morality. And cruelty wasn't something he could abide by. They were _inside his base._ An opportunity like this would never present itself again. If he walked away from this, if he said it wasn't his problem and put all of it behind him, wouldn't that make him just as cruel? If not more?

"Righto, new plan." he growled, grinding a fist into his palm. "We find the Digimon Emperor and dismantle him. Or his operation. Whichever comes first."

"Now that's more like it, boss!" Impmon beamed, pumping a gloved fist into the air. "Let's kick his ass!"

Inwardly, she kept her thoughts to herself.

Better to stick around with two Champions-was Naruto a Champion-and a fellow Rookie rather than rush into danger alone. This way, she at least stood a chance of achieving her revenge. Safety in numbers and whatnot. And who knew? If the boss really _did_ hold the power to make others Digivolve, this might finally be her chance to rise through the ranks! Yes, Impmon told herself, this was entirely the reason she'd allied herself with him to begin with. Not a wit to do with anything else. It wasn't because he'd saved her, oh no, not that she owed him anything or cared-wait...she did, didn't she?

 _...damnit._

"Boss?" Naruto guffawed unaware of her conflicted feelings. "Well, I could get used to that."

BlackGatomon sighed. "Don't expect it from me."

"Why, I'd never!"

Now it was Renamon's turn to palm her face.

"Oh, this is going to end horribly, isn't it?"

The blond offered a hoarse laugh.

"Hey, what could go wrong?"

Oh, how little she knew.

 _"Aaaaaargh!"_

 **A/N: CLIFFHANGER NO JUTSU!**

 **Showdown with the digimon emperor next chapter! Wanted to devote a whole chapter to it.**

 **Also, Naruto's optimism? Yeah, buddy, things might not turn out the way you expect them to...**

 **Think of that little corruption message what you will. It actually has significant ramifications. After all, you didn't think Naruto would simply "arrive" in the Digital World without consequences. Its often said that hatred is a virus, and viruses are dangerous. Deadly.**

 **Especially to Digimon.**

 ***Burns from embarrassment* Kami alive this was HARD to write! My ears are burning bright right now and I'm pretty damn sure I've got one helluva headache! I've never written anything like this before! Expect the unexpected with this story, and feel free to suggest whatever you like! Naruto's going to have one hell of a wild ride, and that's assuming he ever makes it back to Konoha! Will he have a partner? A spirit? Both? Or will this take an entirely different route altogether...?**

 **That, my dear readers, is for you decide! I humbly welcome any and all opinions and suggestions!**

 **A word of warning to the wise, this story may venture into the realm of high T or M later on!**

 **If anyone caught the TFS reference at the very end, good for you! =D**

 **So, in the immortal words of Altas...**

 **...review, would you kindly?**

 **And enjoy the previews!** **As promised, there are THREE of em' this time!**

 **Hope the second warms your hearts.**

 **Who knows what'll happen?**

 **And YES the previews are in pieces, with unfinished sentences and no particular order at that. Its deliberate, I assure you. Wouldn't do to give TOO much away now would it?**

 **As it stands, you're going to be quite surprised...**

 **(Previews!)**

 _What in blazes was going on here?!_

 _Ken couldn't bring himself to understand how everything had come crashing down; in part because none of this made any sense! One moment his base had been operating at peak efficiency, relentlessly grinding its way through the Digital World. Just as it always had. The Control Spires were in place, he had dark rings for days, and a fresh round of experiments were already on the way. All told, it had been a rather pleasant day. Then everything started shaking apart._

 _What he saw there turned his blood to ice._

 _"Fool! Die!"_

 _Well!_

 _This was unexpected._

 _Ken frowned thoughtfully as he_

 _"Maybe, maybe not."_

 _Turning, he found their way barred by the most unlikely of things._

 _A wall._

 _Belatedly he realized his short-lived brawl had brought much of the room down around them._

 _Well, now._

 _That wouldn't do._

 _Placing both hands against its surface, Naruto concentrated._

 _The fire responded all too eagerly and hardened metal melted to slag beneath his palms._

 _"I made a promise!"_

 _"Words mean nothing if you don't have the power to back them up, idiot."_

 _"Nggh...shut up! You're not an Emperor! You're a murderer! I swear...I'm going to...going to... **DESTROY YOU!"**_

 _Someone was laughing._

 _It took him a handful of seconds to realize it was him._

 _Dark flames coiled around his arms, shrouding him in strength._

 _Fell wings burst from his back as his body twisted and grew upward._

 _Somewhere in the back of his rage-addled mind, he thought he heard a voice._

 _Warning! Warning! Corruption Level Presently Exceeds Fifty Percent. Data Collapse Imminent!_

 _"What?! Hey! What sorcery is this?! You! What are you doing?! How are you evolving?! Stop! Stop that right now! I said stop! You can't possibly...?!"_

 ** _"Wildfire Tsunami!"_**

* * *

 _"Don't you do that again."_

 _"Well, I kinda had to, considering-_

 ** _"NEVER AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"_**

 _"Ow! Okay, okay! Don't start crying, ya know!"_

 _"Swear it!"_

 _"Alright, alright." Dusting himself off, the fiery digimon sighed and raised his right hand over his heart. "I do so solemnly swear to never leave your side until-_

 _Ladydevimon twitched, her scarlet eyes turning narrow._

 _ **"UNTIL?!"** growling, the ultimate digimon seized Agunimon by the scruff of his neck, dragging his masked face perilously close to her own. "Whaddya mean _until, _huh?! You gettin' smart with me or something?!_ _The hell does that mean?! Until what?!"_

 _The Legendary Warrior's grin was sunlight personified._

 _"Until the end of my days, of course."_

 _Her pale face turned rosy._

 _"I-Idiot!"_

* * *

 _Well!_

 _This was unfortunate._

 _Terribly, horribly unfortunate._

 _"I...don't suppose you'll let me catch my breath?"_

 _"You are a virus. For the good of the Digital World, you must be deleted."_

 _"OI." Naruto growled, spitting blood through clenched teeth._ _"Let me stop you right there and TELL you something about viruses you pretentious little shit. Right, right, you're bigger than me. Sod it. Enough about that. They're persistent! Take me for instance. I've been betrayed, lost my girls, got stabbed in the back, thrown off a cliff, and had me arm lopped off like a piece of beef jerky for good measure. So you'll have to excuse my sass, because I am REALLY not in the mood for you, your Royal Knights, or any of this YGGDRASIL bullshit. Now! Why don't you take that big fucking lance of yours and shove it right up your-_

 **R &R! =D **


	4. Wildfire Tsunami

**A/N: REVIEW FOR IT FEEDS THE ENGINE OF CREATION~!**

 **THE NEW DIGIMON GAME IS OUT AND IT IS MIIIIIIIIIIINE!**

 **My brain is overheating from all this writing!**

 **0_0**

 **Ahem.**

 **Sorry about that.**

 **Anywho, I'm happy to return!**

 **I'm pleased to deliver good news! I'm officially an uncle now. My nephew is home safely and he seems to be doing alright. Had a bit of a health scare there for a bit with his blood sugar and oxygen levels, but I'm helping my sister look after him. He's very healthy now, and very vocal. Rather loudly at that, thank goodness, haha! He's also starving, which is a good sign considering how small he is. Can't say how much of a relief it is to have them both back safe. I apologize if this impedes my update schedule somewhat, but family comes first.**

 **Thank you for all the wonderful support!**

 **What's up?! I'm fired up here, folks!**

 **I had no idea you guys and gals liked the concept of this story so much! I've gotten a TON of PM and fan mail, and I'm more than happy to answer them all! Once again, thanks for all the support and reviews, it really lights a fire under me and helps to keep me writing! You guys and gals are awesome!**

 **So lets clarify some things, neh?**

 **Q: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!**

 **A: Well, my little sister had a seizure/stroke so I've been dealing with that, in addition to updating other stuff. Fun times!**

 **Most of you had question, so here be the answers:**

 **Q: I sense the coming of a very ANGRY beast spirit on the horizon...**

 **A: You'd be right!**

 **Q: How does Ken intend to fight Naruto?**

 **A: Well, if you recall, he DOES have a secret weapon of sorts...**

 **Q: Have you found a champion form for Impmon yet?**

 **A: One word. Kinkakumon. Best to look that one up on the ol' Digimon wiki BEFORE you read this chapter. Seriously. Do that, or you're gonna be confused. Thanks to the one who suggested it! You know who you are! Turns out that Digivolutions are funny that way, they don't always follow a set line. The possibilities are nearly limitless at a glance, but it was this suggestion that I was ultimately taken with.**

 **Q: Taking things a bit slow, aren't ya?**

 **A: I find its best to set the stage, as it were. The Digimon franchise as a whole has a LOT to work with and I want to do it justice. Still, this chapter covers more ground than most, so you'll have your wish if you want things to speed. Naruto's world is far from done with him...though they'll soon wish that they'd just left him alone.**

 **Q: You've been hinting at other evolutions for Naruto, what can we expect? Just a hint! Please.**

 **A: Well, quite a bit to be honest. Yes, the Spirits themselves will have a role, but don't expect his forms to be solely linked to just them.**

 **Q: More Digivolutions, please! They're the best part! More action, too!**

 **A: This chapter should satisfy those expectations, I hope.**

 **Q: So, what's Impmon's Mega form going to be?**

 **A: Don't worry, Bellestarmon will be Impmon's Mega form. Ought to be interesting to see how she gets alone with Beelzemon.**

 **Q: Is Naruto going to encounter the Digidestined?**

 **A: There is something of an encounter here, yes. He'll be meeting multiple.**

 **Bit of tongue-in-cheek with the title here, too!**

 **'Tis intentional, dear readers!**

 **Now off we go~!**

 **I pay homage to certain series here, care to guess which one?**

 **Lots of digivolutions in this chapter!**

 _"Yes, that's the way. Devour them all...Burn them all! DESTROY EVERYTHING!"_

 _~?_

 **Wildfire Tsunami**

 _The Beast was being called._

 _Like a clarion call spoken from a great distance, so too did it hear the human desperately calling to it from afar. Come here, it seemed to sing. Come to me. Come now! His very presence unknowingly drew upon its power however faintly; siphoning off it to survive. Deep within the temple it stirred. Despite the great distance separating them, it rose. Its consciousness, as much as a disembodied warrior could possess such a thing, flared in response to the summons. Yes. Now was the time. It was fire. It was life. It was destruction. Light, yet also death. The herald of rebirth. The great destroyer which ravaged all._

 _In the end, it obeyed._

 _For Life._

 _For Death._

 _For the Flames._

* * *

 _(...Meanwhile...)_

* * *

 _What in blazes was going on here?!_

Ken Ichijouji-no, the Digimon Emperor!-grunted in surprise as a fresh tremor ripped through the floor beneath his feet, nearly sending him stumbling into a wall. Try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to understand just how everything had come crashing down; in part because none of it made any sense! Mere moments ago his base had been operating well beyond at peak efficiency, relentlessly grinding its way through the Digital World. Just as it always had. The Control Spires were in place, he had dark rings for days, and a fresh round of experiments were already well on their way. Better yet, Wormmon was nowhere to be found, meaning he didn't have to tolerate his partner's insipid whining.

All told, it had been a rather pleasant day for him.

Until everything started shaking apart.

Just who did they think they were?!

Someone or _something_ was rampaging through his base like a wildfire tsunami-laying waste to whatever they found in their wake. Digimon were set free. Dark rings shattered. Rooms slagged, reduced to scorched ruin. All the while the temperature rose, threatening to stifle him even as he made his escape. Was it Davis and the rest of those Digidestined brats again? No, he would've known if they'd found his base. Those ignorant fools were far too noble for their own good. This...this was the work of a third party. One not allied with either of them. Whomever they were, his servants were no match for them, judging by their screams. No matter! He had one final card to play, as final a resort as he dared.

He'd meant to save it for those imbeciles, but now that it had come to this...

 _...what the hell._

Words abandoned him as he rounded the corner and nearly bowled over a Digimon.

An Impmon, of all things!

"Uh, boss? Boss?! A little help, please?!"

"What are you doing here?!" he roared! "Back in your cage!"

Lurking just out of sight, the little creature-female?-noticed him well before he encountered her and thus, she reacted first. A tiny shriek of disbelief escaped her lips; that thin, reedy voice echoing into the corridor beyond to echo sharply. In his anger, Ken paid it no heed. More fool he. Even as the outraged youth reached for his whip the Rookie backpedaled furiously, flailing her arms like a broken pinwheel. Imbecile! She'd pay for her fool behavior once he slapped a dark spiral on her. See how rebellious she was then!

Perhaps sensing his intent, the Impmon redoubled her cries.

"BOSS!"

His response was absolutely instantaneous.

The floor beneath them inexplicably erupted into a towering pillar of flame, shattering Ken's twisted thoughts and forcing him to retreat. Shards of molten metal pelted down on Ken, forcing the young emperor to shield his face and avert his gaze lest he be blinded or crushed by falling debris. A mistake, that. In hindsight it would've been wiser to simply bull through the storm and take his chances. When he finally found it within him to _raise_ his gaze a again, he immediately regretted his decision. A looming figure clad in crimson stood in the Impmon's place, the little creature now nestled securely against its shoulder.

Hooded blue eyes regarded him coldly, as though he were naught but an ant beneath his boot.

This time, the Impmon was the one smiling.

"What was that about a cage, bub?"

"Urk." Ken managed eloquently.

 _"Clench your teeth."_

"What do-ACK?!"

The warrior's declaration became _crystal clear_ not a moment later.

Clenched knuckles barreled into the side of Ken's face with all the force of a _Burning Salamander;_ scorching his goggles and flinging him across the room as though he weighed no more than a recalcitrant child. Hardened stone and steel all but burst before his retreat back, rupturing as the momentum of the assault dragged him across the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. When velocity finally decided to spare him, he immediately wished it hadn't. Searing pain rushed in to fill the void left behind by his anger, drawing a strangled snarl from his lips. His right arm screamed while it hung limp against his side, shrilling out an angry note of agony. One that told him all he needed to know. He'd broken it. And a few ribs at that. It was something of a miracle he was alive at all.

This couldn't be happening.

Staggering upright, swaying on his feet like a drunken sailor, the broken emperor glowered furiously at the digimon duo. This? This was his end? He'd lost to these two? These...idiots?! A snarky little imp and that blazing blond buffoon?! No! Absolutely not! To have his life's work dismantled in record time by these two...he refused to accept it.

 _He absolutely refused to accept this!_

"You...you will bow before me!"

"Sorry." the flaming warrior sneered. "Floor's kinda dirty."

"Fool! This isn't over!"

Wordlessly, the warrior stormed after him.

"Really?" Agunimon growled. "Seems like it is."

In a fit of pique, Ken flung his whip at the Champion, handle at all. The weapon was instantly incinerated, but it bought him precious time all the same; a handful of seconds to cut and run. Throwing himself down a side corridor, he turned and slapped his good hand against the wall as he ran. A panel slammed down behind him immediately, barring their path as he fled deeper into the crumbling base. An outraged snarl through the cold steel told him the burning warrior hadn't taken kindly to his flight. He'd likely be hot on his heels once they cleared the debris. Didn't matter. Spurring his battered body forward, he paid no heed to the chaos behind him. It was irrelevant. They didn't matter. He'd crush them. But first...

He had to retreat.

Escape.

Flee.

That punch had nearly killed him; a second would do the deed and then some. If he had allies it would all be over. Arrogant though he may be, Ken was no fool. Without his slaves to protect him, most digimon could easily best him in single combat; especially the Champion who'd just struck him down. No, he needed to get out of here, to reach his inner chambers before he was overwhelmed. Kimeramon would be there. Once activated, his greatest creation would make short work of this little insurrection. He had to. The alternative was unacceptable.

Vengeance would be his!

For his part, Naruto didn't care about vengeance. No, that was a lie. A small part of him wanted nothing more than to smash the Emperor's face in and dismantle his operation. Fortunately, he found himself driven by more noble ambitions at the moment. Ambitions involving his own freedom, as well as the safety of his newfound friends. _Friends._ It felt good to say that. More than he'd ever admit. If it meant he would be trapped in this form for the rest of his days for their sake, then so be it. Even now the thoughts of his two selves began to blur. "Naruto" wasn't strong enough to protect them. Agunimon could do all that and more. What need did he have for his human body, then?

Ah.

Right.

Impmon.

"Where are the others...?"

The little digimon flinched under his gaze.

"W-Well, we kinda got attacked and were separated...

Even as she spoke, a large, shadowy figure dropped through the hole they'd inadvertently created. Rookie and Champion alike turned to confront the newcomer, half-expecting another fight. They found one...just not the one they were expecting. Rather than attack they charged headlong into Naruto, bowling the baffled blond onto his pack. Impmon tumbled from his shoulder with a startled yelp, but Naruto scarcely noticed. His concerns were decidedly elsewhere at the moment. A luminescent paw slammed down on his armored chest, pinning him in place. When he attempted to extricate himself from this unexpected tackle, he was immediately greeted by a heartstopping hiss.

 _"You!"_

Agunimon-Naruto!-tilted his masked head in confusion.

"Me?"

"Look what you've done!" a familiar voice drilled into his ears. "I defeated a Monochromon and became...this! This is your fault, I just know it!"

A slow blink followed.

Well!

This was unexpected.

"Wait a minute...Renamon?"

The kitsune growled furiously.

 _"Youkomon_ now, thanks to you!"

Her new form was far superior to the last for all the wrong reasons; not only because she'd abandoned her bipedal nature, but due to her striking appearance. In place of a humanoid fox, she'd transformed into a massive blue kitsune with nine flaming tails. Hmm. Something about the sight of her stirred something in Naruto; a flicker of recollection or nostalgia he'd half-forgotten. He couldn't be certain, only that the sight of those nine tails seemed familiar somehow. Yes, he'd seen them before but they'd mos assuredly been red and much, much larger...

...would you let me up if I told you how awesome you look?"

A paw slammed down on his chest with a crunch.

"That's not what I want to hear from you!"

"Oi! This isn't my fault, ya know!"

 _"It certainly is!"_

"Are you kidding me?! Her too?!" Impmon, having finally extricated herself from the wall amidst all the confusion, offered her own plaintive cry. "Why is everyone digivolving today?! It not fair! Don't tell me that damn cat went and digivolved again, too?!"

The blazing kitsune blinked at that, her anger momentarily softened by the reminder of their missing ally.

"I...haven't seen her, actually." she confessed, turning her head. "She ran off somewhere, said she had something to do...

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Naruto wriggled free from beneath his fellow champion and righted himself before she could entrap him again. When Renamon _-no, Youkomon now, he reminded himself-_ nipped at him his hand sought the space just behind her ears and began scratching heartily. A delighted yip rewarded his efforts and the anger drained out of her like a broken sieve. Indeed, her back legs folded beneath her body in an instant and quick as you please, the very same tails that had threatened to immolate him began swaying pleasantly. Despite the near-death experience, he grinned. His instincts had been spot on, after all.

 _"Good girl."_

"You...absolute bastard." she groaned, but her words lacked their usual rancor.

"Your words, not mine."

Lending his ally one last pat, the legendary warrior stepped past her to regard the barrier placed in their path. A clenched fist slammed into his open palm, knuckles grinding together menacingly.

"Now, then...time for the final boss."

Impmon palmed her face.

"Are you...are you seriously treating this shit like a video game?"

"Might as well." he shrugged. "In a sense, it is."

Youkomon bit his hand.

"OW"!

"Stop mucking about!"

"Jezz, ya didn't have to bite me...

Waving his injured palm about, he found their way barred by the same hasty barrier Ken had erected during his retreat. Belatedly he realized his short-lived assault had brought much of the room down around them. Not only did he have to deal with the impassable steel grate, but he'd have to scorch away much of the debris behind it as well. Doubtlessly Ken had used this opportunity to mount one final defense in the room beyond. That suited Naruto just fine. He just wouldn't be satisfied if things went this smoothly. Still, that left the matter of how to get to him.

The wall.

Well, now.

This wouldn't do.

Placing both hands against its surface, Naruto concentrated.

The fire responded all too eagerly and hardened metal melted to slag beneath his palms. It almost amazed him how quickly he'd mastered this power. As though the knowledge had always been there, just waiting to be unlocked. Perhaps it had already been, but that was a matter for another time. Flames burned within and without, melting all in their path, while leaving the hallway relatively intact. Conscious of his allies behind him, he stormed through the breach and all but kicked down the first door he encountered, fully intent on immolating the upstart emperor right then and there. He'd had his fun, now it was time to avenge his friends and put this place behind them. After they dealt with this upstart emperor.

Firm in his resolved, the legendary warrior advanced into the antechamber beyond.

The yawning expanse beyond housed two individuals.

"Ha, fool! You're about to die!"

Of course, the Digimon Emperor was there, spouting threats and looking insufferably smug in spite of his injuries. Naruto gave him no more regard than he would an annoying gnat. The creature behind him was another matter entirely. Large enough to fill a good portion of the room, it radiated menace on a primal level, forcing him to look up, up, and up again...

What he saw there turned his blood to ice.

He was gazing at an abomination.

There could be no other word to describe this...creature.

Fused from so many Digimon parts that it resembled a modern-day Frankenstein, the creature stood on two ungainly legs. Four mismatching arms jutted at various points in its body sprouting into the air as though to try and grasp the very heavens themselves. Burgeoned aloft by a hideous quartet of wings, Feral eyes turned towards Naruto and narrowed upon him, its slavering maw gaping wide as though to swallow him whole. It was a beast apart, something that couldn't exist, _shouldn't_ exist, and yet it did. Merely looking at it was enough to fill the stalwart warrior with fear. The symbol on his chest throbbed painfully, pounding in his ears like a second heartbeat the longer he gazed at it. He couldn't defeat this thing.

 _'This is beyond me.'_

The realization sprung from nowhere; not from fear, or anger, but the cruel realization that he was outmatched. This...whatever this digimon was, he stood no chance against it. His will to fight was still very much present of course, but now it stood tempered by the sheer killing intent this monster radiated. Behind him, he caught a faint whimper from Impmon. Likewise, Youkomon uttered a soft noise he'd never heard her make before, and it took him a few moment to realize what she was feeling. They were, both of them, frozen from fear. It was something of a miracle that he could move at all-

 **"Why do you hesitate? They enemy is before you. Destroy him."**

 _'What?'_ he blinked, taken back.

 **"Fight."**

 _'I don't..._

 **"YOU MUST FIGHT."**

All at once the voice took him, every muscle in his body clamping down as one. As though he'd been plunged into darkness, so too did the light of his eyes fade. A strange warmth gathered in his fists, burning, building like a blazing inferno until he felt as though he would burst from it. Pain flared in his chest, and he bent double, clutching at his heart. Searing claws closed around his mind and sank their fingers deep, urging him to move, to attack, to take the fight to the enemy before-

"Kimeramon! Attack! Heat Viper!"

Ken's command jerked him back to reality.

As he looked on, the abomination's maw jutted open with alarming speed, revealing a swell of sickly light building in its throat. Growing inexorably larger with each passing second, it threatened to engulf them all, to tear down the very room itself and send them plummeting into darkness. Agunimon's first instinct was to dodge; to escape, fling himself away to safety. Even with his newfound powers, a direct hit would absolutely destroy him. Even if it didn't, an attack of that caliber would surely cripple him. No, tanking that blast was absolutely out of the question. Best to move and find another way to win this fight, a weakness of some sot...

...but that would leave his allies unprotected behind him.

Startled, he risked a glance over his shoulder.

Saw them, standing there.

Rooted with fear.

 _'No!'_

There was no thought.

Only movement.

Only emotion.

Only pain.

The blast slammed into his crossed arms and the flame he reflexively conjured, shattering them both like so much brittle kindling. His body dropped to a knee, shoulders smoldering, armor crumbling. His chin struck the floor, and something cool found his face.

 _Ah,_ he realized. _I fell._

There it was. It made sense now, albeit in a twisted mockery of the word. He'd failed. He'd tried to protect his friends, taken the blow for them in hopes of enduring, and he had failed. And for what? What time had his tiny efforts gained them? One hit. A single hit, and he stood at death's door. Just what kind of Digimon was this? What kind of creature could possess such power, such cruelty? How could you defeat such a thing? It was going to kill him. Kill him, then Impmon, Youkomon and Gatomon, _spirits, it was going to kill them all_ _and he couldn't stop it._

He.

Just.

Didn't.

Have it.

So why, then?

Why was he moving?

His arms were all but ruined.

Yet he still had both his legs, did he not?

"I made a promise!"

"Words mean nothing if you don't have the power to back them up, idiot." The Emperor scoffed.

A low growl pierced the sundered room.

"Nggh...shut up! You're not an Emperor! You're a murderer! I swear...I'm going to...going to... **DESTROY YOU!"**

Again the darkness came.

This time, it didn't release him.

Something shot into him from on high, rocketing through the hole Kimeramon had created during its brief ascension. An arrow loosed from heaven, it rammed itself headlong into his chest, uniting with his body. His being, no-his very soul. His body jerked upright without warning, a twisted puppet twitching on broken strings. Light and life blazed in his eye, a soundless scream tearing its way through his ruined throat. Too much. Too much energy. He couldn't hold it. Couldn't contain the power. It was too much for even Agunimon to bear, and he was going to break because of it, going to shatter, _shatter..._

Wait.

Why contain it?

 ** _"I have found you!"_**

Distantly, he heard someone laughing.

It took him a handful of seconds to realize it was him.

Dark flames coiled around his arms, shrouding him in strength.

Fell wings burst from his back as his body twisted and grew upward.

Somewhere in the back of his rage-addled mind, he thought he heard a voice.

 _Warning! Warning! Corruption Level Presently Exceeds Fifty Percent. Data Collapse Imminent!_

Blazing pain erupted behind his temples, manifesting in the form of of black flames, writhing and twisting around his frame.

"Its here." the words hissed through clenched teeth as he clawed a this face. "Its here its here its here _itshereitshereitshereitshereitshereitshereitshereitshereitshereitshere **ITS**_ **HERE!"**

He doubled over with scream, and erupted into a tsunami of fire.

Impmon squeaked.

"Just what the hell is he...?

Yokoumon was of the sane mind.

"He can't be digivolving again...can he?"

Ken shrank back in disbelief, anxiety overtaking him.

"What?! Hey! What sorcery is this?!" he shouted into the geyser of flame, struggling to make himself heard over Naruto's laughter. "You! What are you doing?! How are you digivolving?! Stop! Stop it right now! I said stop! You can't possibly...?!"

In a rush of fire, it appeared before him.

Before him stood a draconic Digimon with distinctly avian characteristics. Although clearly a Beast Digimon like Kimeramon, it loomed smaller than the great goliath, standing upright like a human. Its head bore a bird-like beak, filled with razor-sharp teeth, blue, raptor eyes almost entirely covered by silver helmet bearing crimson stripes. The emblem etched into its helm shone with ghastly light, illuminating an emblem alongside a pair of signature Greymon-species horns. Wings of pure flame sprouted from its back, tongues of fire licking across sharp claws.

As the Digimon Emperor looked on in disbelief, those searing claws clenched into fists.

The beast's armored tail lashed the ground, cratering it with a hiss.

"No...no, you couldn't have! What are you?!"

A muscular body sheathed in crimson armor turned to face him, inlaid with silver panels and gold etchings. Upon those gleaming forearms hung triangular, golden super-weapons. He of course had no way of knowing just what they were, yet something in him quailed at the sight of them all the same. These were the "Rudriya Darpaṇa", deadly weaponry capable of obliterating this base in an instant. More so the will behind it; a presence all but devoid of kindness, of empathy, utterly cleansed of mercy. It was a beast apart from the rest, and there would be no quarter here.

"You...say something! I demand you speak!"

Burning Greymon tilted its head.

CRUNCH.

With a dismissive flick of its tail, Ken's back greeted the wall.

Only then did the Legendary Warrior turn its attention to his creation.

Kimeramon felt none of its creator's fear; it simply did not possess the capacity for such emotion.

It was a being built for one purpose and one alone.

To kill.

Thus, it was somewhat flummoxed when it found itself being slaughtered.

A clawed fist shot upward in a flaming uppercut, shattering the ghastly creature's jaw like glass. Reeling, the cobbled-creation stumbled away in disbelief and struck back with one of its many limbs. It paid instantly for the temerity, dearly indeed; for that very vessel was torn away from it at the elbow, ripped asunder and jammed viciously in its gut. Shrieking in disbelief it beat its wings to escape the assault, only for a strange weight to fall between its shoulders. Snarling in confusion, its primitive mind struggled to comprehend what was happening and why there was suddenly pain and-

 _Ground._

Its horn snapped against the earth as Burning Greymon _ripped away its wings_ in a shower of flame. Deprived of its aerial superiority, the chimera flailed at him with its remaining arms, and found them rendered little more than charred, tattered ruins. A knot of fury ignited in what passed for the beast's heart and it lashed out, seeking only to destroy. Strong claws closed around its maw, forcing its fangs shut around the _Heat Viper_ even as it struggled to be born. The implosion reeked havoc on the beast's teeth, steam spilling from its jaws, but still it sought to fire a second shot in spite of the weakness.

Imagine its surprise when its adversary batted the blast back in its right eye.

This time the pain proved so much worse; agony upon endless agony howled through its skull like a wild beast, sending Kimeramon thrashing blindly. All the while its mind raged, its instincts demanded it to kill, without so much as a thought for its self preservation. Never once did it consider the possibility that it might be outmatched. In that, lay its folly. Another digimon would've retreated. Live to fight another day. Kimeramon lacked even the meanest means to consider such an outcome. It could only rage. Could only hate.

No!

This was absurd!

It was the strongest!

Mightiest! Superior! Invincible! It-!

A burning clawed-fist closed around its tail.

With a wordless lamentation the beast seized its prey and began to spin, slowly at first but with increasing velocity upon velocity, until only a streak of orange and crimson could be seen. For all its ferocity and undaunted strength, Kimermon couldn't escape the vortex. It could only thrash uselessly, beating ineffectually with the severed stumps of its wings. Howling, it completed its revolution and flung the hybrid digimon back at its master.

Not alone.

Not in the least.

 _ **"Wildfire Tsunami!"**_

And Ken's world turned to fire.

 **A/N: CLIFFHANGER NO JUTSU!**

 **Gonna say it right now, Naruto is very much a virus. A sort of living digivice, if you will.**

 **I promise, its going to be one hell of a shocker!**

 **The...event you're all expecting will transpire next chapter.**

 **Think of that little corruption message what you will. It actually has significant ramifications. After all, you didn't think Naruto would simply "arrive" in the Digital World without consequences. Its often said that hatred is a virus, and viruses are dangerous. Deadly.**

 **Especially to Digimon.**

 **Naruto's basically a digital hazard, though he has yet to realize it.**

 ***Burns from embarrassment* Kami alive this was HARD to write! My ears are burning bright right now and I'm pretty damn sure I've got one helluva headache! I've never written anything like this before! Expect the unexpected with this story, and feel free to suggest whatever you like! Naruto's going to have one hell of a wild ride, and that's assuming he ever makes it back to Konoha! Will he have a partner? A spirit? Both? Or will this take an entirely different route altogether...?**

 **That, my dear readers, is for you decide! I humbly welcome any and all opinions and suggestions!**

 **A word of warning to the wise, this story may venture into the realm of high T or M later on!**

 **If anyone caught the TFS reference at the very end, good for you! =D**

 **So, in the immortal words of Altas...**

 **...review, would you kindly?**

 **And enjoy the previews!** **As promised, there are THREE of em' this time!**

 **Hope the second warms your hearts.**

 **Who knows what'll happen?**

 **And YES the previews are in pieces, with unfinished sentences and no particular order at that. Its deliberate, I assure you. Wouldn't do to give TOO much away now would it?**

 **As it stands, you're going to be quite surprised...**

 **(Previews!)**

 _He balked._

Balked _as the burning creature picked itself back up again. Burning red eyes focused on him, its maw gaping wide._

 _"WHAT THE DEVIL ARE YOU?!"_

* * *

 _...you're not going to let me up, are you."_

 _Lady Devimon's smile was the very picture of terror._

 _"Oh, dear. Are you saying my lap pillow isn't pleasing for you, Master?"_

 _Her hands tightened on his head._

 _Naruto gulped very quietly._

 _"No, no, not at all..._

* * *

 _"Well, shit."_

 _That as all he had time to utter before the lance slammed into his heart._

* * *

 _"So...this is your home? Looks kinda weird."_

 _"Yeah, sorry, but its absolutely filthy..._

 _Agunimon made a face._

 _"Not by choice."_

* * *

 _"No human could understand! The feeling of finding yourself in a strange world and begging for hep, only to be ignored, and preparing to die alone!"_

 _"Even so! I want to understand you!"_

 **R &R! =D **


	5. Darkness Awakened (Interlude)

**A/N: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!**

 **Or Singles Appreciation Day or what have you.**

 **REVIEW FOR IT FEEDS THE ENGINE OF CREATION~!**

 **Been awhile, hasn't it? Feel free to catch up with the chapters if you need to.**

 **Alas, it doesn't help that Digimon isn't too popular over here these days. How I miss the golden age...**

 **Sorry for vanishing like that, life kept me away for a bit. Working seven days a week tends to do that to you. Did I mention that I'm an uncle now? Yup, I've got a nephew to take care of-considering he's living with me at the moment-who will be turning One soon if anyone wants to wish the little tyke a happy birthday. HOLY HELL DOES THAT MAKE ME FEEL OLD.**

 **Would you believe I'm actually getting grey hair?**

 **Ah, but I digress!**

 **Long story short, we're getting a brief little interlude here to grease the gears once more and spring this story into the new age. Considering Naruto's an outright Digital Hazard at this point; a** **sort of living Digivice, if you will. Digimon-anything lower than Ultimate in this case-tend to spontaneously Digivolve into random forms when they're near him long enough; if any of you have read the last chapter then you'll know all HELL is about to break loose.**

 **So here's the one everyone has been asking for.**

 **I think you'll like this one, given just WHO its focused on.**

 **So lets answer three questions and keep thing short this time around:**

 **Q: LadyDevimon when?!**

 **A: LadyDevimon NOW!**

 **Q: So would be correct in assuming that Naruto flying off the handle-and triggering his Digital Hazard-could cause spontaneous digivolutions in nearby Digimon?**

 **A: You are correct, sir!**

 **Q: Hurry up! I want to see Ken get his ass kicked! And meeting the Digidestined!**

 **A: You'll have to wait for the next chapter I'm afraid; rest assured, you won't be dissapointed.**

 **Now off we go~!**

 **Sorry if its short, but I'm back!**

 _"Hmm...yes. This will do quite nicely..._

 _~?_

 **Darkness Awakened**

Pain.

It filled her every waking moment, everywhere, _everything._ Every muscle clamped down as Black Gatomon curled inward on herself, every cell, every prism of data united in singular agony. She could barely think, much less breathe as she clutched at her aching dies, such was the fire blazing over her fractured form. On a certain level the little Digimon knew what was causing this and thus tried to speak, tried to denounce it; but all that escaped her lips was a silent scream. Even that pitiful cry was soon swallowed by the dark, writhing vortex consuming her.

Stop.

She needed to stop.

She needed to stop, _stoprightnowbeforeitwastoolate_...

There was pain here, but not hers; it belonged to someone else, someone she knew all too well. Naruto. Something foul had taken hold of his data and by definition hers through their connection; that strange eldritch force was twisting things, warping her very body against her will. She hadn't sought this power. Didn't need it. Frankly, she wasn't sure she wanted it, for that matter. Yet it came to her all the same, shrouding her in a shell of shadow despite her shrieks.

Distantly she could feel herself changing; as though she were on the outside looking in, helpless to do naught but watch.

And then, quite suddenly, it was over.

When at last the fire in her heart subsided and she found herself capable of coherent thought, her perspective had...changed. So too, had her form. Sprawled on the floor, her new form offered one final spasm of protest-a lone petulant tremor-and lay still, curled tightly against herself. But not for long.

Slowly, painfully, she rose.

At a glance, one might even mistake her for a human.

Slim hands rose to paw at her face; only then did she realize what had become of her left arm. Wait.

 _Hands?_

To her dismay her left limb ended in a cruel claw, large to be sure, but terribly useful all the same.

Vaguely she became aware of the other changes that had been wrought without her approval; she had grown taller, almost ludicrously so, her once petite feline form elongated into something-someone!-else entirely. Almost immediately she realized there was now an uncomfortable black leather _mask_ covering a good portion of her upper visage; in a rare fit of pique she tore it off, casting the garish material aside with a soft growl. Freed from its confines, silken tresses the color of ashen snow tumbled down to frame her pale face, mirroring eerie eyes of blood red rubies.

Well.

This was new.

Unexpected even.

Those peerless scarlet orbs narrowed to thin slits as she pivoted, surveying herself.

Her body wasn't much better off; she rather resembled a well-endowed human; this fact was made all the more poignant by the absurd outfit in which she found herself clad. Leather! Why did it have to be leather?! The tattered shroud of what might have been a shredded cape hung from her shoulders, swaying softly in an unseen breeze, clinking softly alongside the chains wreathing her waist. Her pride rankled and a rare flush rose to her cheeks. Still, she felt...determined. A surety of purpose she'd never known. Downright bold, even.

"Alright," to her mild dismay even her voice had changed; that once sullen squeak now a soft, sultry purr. "What the _hell_ is this?"

An apt word, looking back.

 _Lady Devimon._

The name came to her without warning, sprung from the sea of her soul, and she knew at once that it belonged to her. That didn't make the transition any less...awkward by comparison. Her first Digivolution had been a sudden one to be sure, but she'd adapted to it rather readily given the unorthodox circumstances. Now she'd been thrust to an even higher plane, one she wasn't wholly ready for. Neither had been natural in the merest sense of the word; each change triggered by the boy, forced upon her with all the subtlety of a typhoon.

This...was another matter.

Power thrummed through her veins, power like she'd never known. It was intoxicating. Overwhelming. Shadows swelled at her fingertips, waiting-begging!-to be unleashed. She felt as though she could take on the entire Digital World. For one who'd known naught but weakness all her life, it was all but an aphrodisiac. Yes! With this, none would dare stand before her! She would be the Queen of this brave new world! All would bow before her or be destroyed! She didn't need anyone! She was behold to no one! No one at all-

The sharpest thorn of regret pricked at her conscience in the form of a blond boy and his brash smile.

 _...no!'_

A ray of light pierced the darkness drowning her and she all but flinched away from it, such was her shame. Of course. How could she have forgotten him? Though she stood on the precipice of change, Lady Devimon gave her ego a harsh slap and hauled herself back from the brink. She almost felt unworthy of it-this tiny, precious memory that had saved her at the last. That didn't stop her from clinging to it like a drowning woman would a raft. Naruto. Someone who had shown her kindness. Someone who went out of his way to protect her. Someone who could not, would not, _absolutely must not_ be allowed to die.

Drunk on power, she'd nearly abandoned him.

Reigning herself in, she quelled the rampaging emotions within her breast and exhaled softly.

"Damnit." A small, rueful smile plucked at her lips as she shook her head. "That little brat's going to get an earful for this...or not."

A distant explosion captured-consumed-her attention all at once, sending the floor tilting horribly beneath her. Lady Devimon scarcely even felt it. If anything it served as a welcome distraction from the roiling tempest of her won thoughts. Was she really going soft over a human she'd only just met? Shouldn't she be more concerned about that?

Bah.

Stretching out with her senses she found him at once; a blazing beacon blazing through the Digimon Emperor's base like a raging tsunami. No thought. No direction. Only destruction. A roaring wildfire, one that burned more and more of itself down with each passing moment. Anyone could see that he'd lost his wits to this new form, that he was all of an instant from becoming the very beast he'd fought against. Well, now. That wouldn't do. She owed him that much after all. Humming softly to herself, she sauntered toward the source of the blazing heat.

Truth be told, she also wanted to clobber him for forcing her into this form...

...two birds with one stone, then?

Yeah, sounded about right.

 _Time for a test._

 **A/N: There we go.**

 **Gonna say it right now, Naruto is very much a virus in this story; one that he doesn't yet have full control over. The more he fights, the worse it becomes.** **And he just turned Black Gatomon into Lady Devimon.**

 **We're doomed!**

 **So, in the immortal words of Altas...**

 **...Review, would you kindly?**

 **No previews this time~!**

 **R &R! =D **


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